2009-09-22

Michael Ignatieff yesterday accused Conservatives of making a "mess" of the country's finances, saying it is now impossible to tell what spending cuts are needed to eliminate the projected $56-billion deficit.

The Liberal leader said yesterday his party would cut government expenditures in a bid to rebalance the budget. But he offered no specifics about possible cuts, saying the Tories' "wishful projections" make it difficult to determine the deficit's size. "Upon taking office, we'll conduct a full audit of our public finances. We'll open the books and find out where we really are," he told the Toronto Board of Trade.

The government has repeatedly hiked the projected size of the deficit for the current fiscal year, from $36-billion in January's budget to $50-billion in May to $56-billion this month.

"I can't tell you if it will be $60-billion at Christmas," Mr. Ignatieff said after the speech.

Christmas, eh? Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. What was going on at Christmas last year?

Now we all know the real reason for this attempted coup: the potential revoking of the $1.95 funding to political parties. But that's not the reason they told us. The lying Liberals claimed it was because...

OTTAWA -- A two-year economic stimulus package that focuses on infrastructure, housing construction and the ailing manufacturing sector, overseen by a Finance Minister from the Liberal ranks, would be the top priority of a proposed Liberal-NDP coalition government.

Even though this might put Canada into a deficit position, the leaders say there is an agreement to undertake policies that would return Ottawa to a surplus position within four years.

Four years from last December would be December of 2012. Doesn't that mean Stephen Harper should be given that same amount of time to reverse the deficit?

Ultimately, the Liberals have no right -- no right at all -- to try to complain about the Harper Conservatives bringing in a budget that featured massive stimulus (read: huge government expenditures at a rapid rate) at the same time as keeping the existing Conservative stimulus (tax cuts... you know, the only stimulus that actually works). You don't want a deficit Ignatieff? Then you shouldn't have supported the coalition! (Or demanded a voice in the federal budget just six months ago)